10 Japanese Common names For Female

It’s very hard to remember unfamiliar names. Japanese names are very difficult to memorize if you aren’t familiar with them. It’s because they are very different from most Western names. Here, I will tell you 10 Japanese common female names. Like in many countries, there are names that are popular in different generations. I have included some names that are popular in general and other names that are typical for each generation.

10 Japanese Common names For Female

1. Keiko

There are many women who have the name “Keiko.” It has been a popular name from the 1940s up to the 1960s. I am sure that you have met someone whose name is Keiko if you live in Japan. Since the meaning of the name is determined by the kanji characters used for it, there are several ways to write the name “Keiko” : 慶子 (cerebrate and child), 敬子 (respect and child), 恵子 (blessed and child). The last characters are the most popular.

2. Yoko

The name “Yoko” is also a very popular Japanese name. It’s also one of the most famous Japanese names all over the world from the name of a famous girlfriend of John Lennon, Yoko Ono. “Yoko” can be written with several ways as well: 陽子 (sunlight and child) and 洋子 (ocean and child).

3. Yoshiko

“Yoshiko” is another popular name in Japan. It can be written as 良子 (good and child) or 芳子 (fragrant and child).

4. Kazuko

The name “Kazuko” has been a popular name for girls from the 1930s to the 1950s. That means many women from older generations have this name. It would be important to know this name. “Kazuko” is usually written as 和子 (harmony and child).

5. Tomoko

“Tomoko” has been a popular name from the 1960s and the 1970s. It is usually written 智子, which means intellect/wisdom and child. We can see that people wish their child to be intelligent women.

6. Akemi

Although many female Japanese names usually finish with “ko,” this name “Akemi” was the beginning of the new name trends in Japan. It has become popular since 1957. It is usually written as 明美, which means bright and beautiful. It’s such a beautiful name for a girl!

7. Ai

The name “Ai” has been popular from the 1980s and the 1990s. It is also a Japanese female name that doesn’t finish with “ko” at the end. This name is mostly written as 愛, which means love or affection. I can understand how people want to name their girls with this lovely name.

8. Sakura

“Sakura” is a name that has been popular in these recent years. It means, “cherry-blossom” in Japanese. Even though it can be written with a kanji 桜, many people choose to write it in hiragana alphabets. It’s a beautiful name that represent the symbol of Japan.

9. Yui

The name “Yui” is also a recently popular name for girls in Japan. Recently many Japanese people prefer to choose shorter name like this one. They also choose names from the sounds first, then choose the kanji characters that fits them. Some of the possibilities are :結衣 (tie, bind and clothing), 優衣 (gentleness, superiority and clothing) etc.

10. Rin

“Rin” is also becoming very popular in these past years. It’s a girl’s name, but it can also be used for boys. Many people prefer choosing names that are unisex these days. “Rin” is written with the kanji 凛, which means dignified, severe or cold. We can see that people want girls to be stronger by choosing this name.

Conclusion

I have listed few very common Japanese female names. It would be quite useful to memorize those names so that it would help you remember the names of Japanese women you meet. There are also trends in each generation. I hope this list would give you a good idea of names that are popular in each generation. I have also given some of the meaning of those names. Even though the meaning of the names depends on the kanji characters used for names, it can give you some ideas of their meanings.